Tughan's Comic Enterprises Limited puts on comedy and live music nights under the name The Glee Club in Birmingham, Nottingham, Cardiff and Oxford.

Twentieth Century Fox has vowed to fight the audacious legal claim. Documents received by the high court in London on 14 June, and seen by MediaGuardian, show that the studio vowed to continue airing the popular series in the UK. Glee is midway through its third season on Sky1.

Murdoch's film company said in its court filing that it was not aware of the Midlands-based comedy night or its trademarks.

It said in its court defence: "It is admitted that [Fox] threatens and intends to continue and repeat the acts complained of. It is fully entitled to do so because the said acts are entirely lawful."

The studio also claimed that the comedy night – which launched nearly 20 years ago – had not suffered as a result of Glee's popularity.

Tughan maintained on Tuesday that he had a strong case against 20th Century Fox. "Fox is making a big mistake if they think they can bankrupt me and make me go away," he said. "I am confident I will win this."

The trademark dispute, which first came to light in September last year, is likely to head to a high court showdown this year. It was heard briefly at the patents county court in London this year before being moved to the high court.

Twentieth Century Fox had not returned a request for comment at the time of publication. The studio has instructed the London-based solicitors Simmons & Simmons to fight the claim.

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